J-Town’s Gaslight Festival takes over the streets this weekend

J-Town’s Gaslight Festival takes over the streets this weekend

More than 100,000 will visit Jeffersontown this weekend. | Courtesy of Chamber Jeffersontown

Since 1969, the Gaslight Festival has taken over the streets of downtown Jeffersontown. It began as a small neighborhood street party and now attracts more than 100,000 every third weekend in September.

The 49th iteration will take place this weekend, Sept. 14-16, and in fact, festivities have already gotten underway. The event now includes a poker rally, golf scramble, 5K run/walk, a parade, car show and — wait for it — a legit pipe-smoking competition.

The main feature, however, is the three-day street festival that’ll feature more than 250 vendor booths, live music, food, adult beverages and carnival rides. It all goes down at J-Town’s quaint Gaslight Square.

If you recall, Insider’s Bar Belle (aka this writer) paid a visit to the bars of J-Town in July, and she discovered four friendly little watering holes she’d likely visit again … and again. So why not make a night of it and go early for the Gaslight Festival and stay late at Chubby Ray’s or 3rd Turn Brewing or Rec Bar or even Maple Inn.

The Kentucky Pipe Smoking Championship, by the way, takes place at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Participants are given equal amounts of tobacco, and whoever can keep his pipe burning the longest is named the champion.

The event is organized by the Chamber Jeffersontown and runs with the help of many volunteers.

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Sara Havens is the Culture Editor at Insider Louisville, known around town as the Bar Belle (barbelleblog.com). She's a former editor of LEO Weekly and has written for Playboy and The Alcohol Professor. Havens is the author of two books: "The Bar Belle" and "The Bar Belle Vol. 2."